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Electric kettles in the US are so much more frustrating to use than UK given the electric standard differences. I never knew I’d miss fast booking so much but h

Electric kettles in the US are so much more frustrating to use than UK given the electric standard differences. I never knew I’d miss fast booking so much but have yet to pull the trigger on something like a zojirushi boiler to use throughout the day.

inferiorhuman 3y ago
Even at 120VAC, electric kettles are still faster than stoves.
- zarzavat 3y ago
  You could also probably just buy two kettles and if you want the full 240V experience.
  - kube-system 3y ago
    US kettles aren't lower wattage just to spite the users, they're lower wattage because of the wiring in our houses. Whether you can run two kettles depends on the age of the house (i.e. which version of the electric code it was built to) and which outlets you choose. If you want to draw a full 3000W the way a quick European kettle does, you can't do that on a single 15 or 20 amp American branch circuit. Now it is possible to mildly overload breakers for a period of time without tripping them, but this hardly a good recommendation. If you want 3000w of electricity in an American house, just buy an 240v appliance.
    - inferiorhuman 3y ago
      Grossly oversimplified but most American kitchens built in the past 40 years will only be wired with 20 amp circuits (= rated for 80% continuous load or about 1900 W). However, I've never seen a 20 amp receptacle in a kitchen (until my idiot GC insisted on it because he doesn't understand the NEC), and pretty much any US spec kettle will only have a 15 amp (NEMA 5-15) plug. But… there will almost certainly be a few different circuits in your kitchen so pulling 3000 W (a.k.a. 15 amp * 0.80 * 2) isn't so crazy. Whatever. My kettle is rated at 1500 watts and it's still quite a bit faster than the shitty gas range. And it'll keep water at temp for half an hour. And it's adjustable so I can boil water or heat it up for whatever tea or coffee. There's a pretty strong convenience factor here. A 240 V kettle is probably not worth the hassle though, especially not if you want your local building inspector to sign off on anything.

inferiorhuman 3y ago

Even at 120VAC, electric kettles are still faster than stoves.

zarzavat 3y ago
You could also probably just buy two kettles and if you want the full 240V experience.
- kube-system 3y ago
  US kettles aren't lower wattage just to spite the users, they're lower wattage because of the wiring in our houses. Whether you can run two kettles depends on the age of the house (i.e. which version of the electric code it was built to) and which outlets you choose. If you want to draw a full 3000W the way a quick European kettle does, you can't do that on a single 15 or 20 amp American branch circuit. Now it is possible to mildly overload breakers for a period of time without tripping them, but this hardly a good recommendation. If you want 3000w of electricity in an American house, just buy an 240v appliance.
  - inferiorhuman 3y ago
    Grossly oversimplified but most American kitchens built in the past 40 years will only be wired with 20 amp circuits (= rated for 80% continuous load or about 1900 W). However, I've never seen a 20 amp receptacle in a kitchen (until my idiot GC insisted on it because he doesn't understand the NEC), and pretty much any US spec kettle will only have a 15 amp (NEMA 5-15) plug. But… there will almost certainly be a few different circuits in your kitchen so pulling 3000 W (a.k.a. 15 amp * 0.80 * 2) isn't so crazy. Whatever. My kettle is rated at 1500 watts and it's still quite a bit faster than the shitty gas range. And it'll keep water at temp for half an hour. And it's adjustable so I can boil water or heat it up for whatever tea or coffee. There's a pretty strong convenience factor here. A 240 V kettle is probably not worth the hassle though, especially not if you want your local building inspector to sign off on anything.